Accra, Oct. 8. More than 80 percent of 40 communities in northern Ghana have recorded zero cases of child marriage, thanks to youth-led, community-driven interventions, Mr. Mohammed Awal Alhassan, Executive Director of the Northern Sector Action on Awareness Centre (NORSAAC), has revealed.
The announcement was made at the Power to You(th) National Closeout Ceremony in Accra, themed “A Journey of Change: Honouring Girls, Youth and Partnerships.” The initiative, implemented by NORSAAC in partnership with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, was introduced in Ghana in 2021 alongside Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Senegal, and Uganda. Its aim is to involve adolescent girls and young women from underserved communities in decision-making on harmful practices, sexual and gender-based violence, and unintended pregnancies.
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Mr. Alhassan explained that the success stems from youth groups empowered to engage religious and traditional leaders and design targeted activities to eliminate child marriage. “We give them space and build their capacity to work with leaders to develop and implement activities that help eliminate child marriage. Over the past two years, some of these communities have not recorded a single case,” he said. He called for scaling up the youth movement to sustain progress against child marriage and other harmful practices.
Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, in a speech read on her behalf, emphasised the importance of empowering young people with skills and opportunities to contribute to national development. “We believe that the youth should not wait to become leaders in the future, but start leading now. Giving them power and voice will help build a strong team of leaders for our great country,” she stated.
Citing the 2021 Population and Housing Census, Dr. Lartey noted that young people aged 15 to 35 constitute 38.2 percent of Ghana’s population, with those under 25 accounting for 57 percent, highlighting their potential to drive national progress.
Alhaji Mohammed Sani Adams, Technical Director at the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, stressed the need to bridge the gap between legislation and practice, cautioning that without such alignment, enforcing laws on marriage and consent will remain a challenge.
NORSAAC is a development-focused organisation dedicated to improving the quality of life of women, youth, and marginalised groups while promoting social change to enhance citizens’ living conditions.
